Meghalaya: Militants serve demand note to government officials

Shillong: Several Meghalaya government officials serving in the militancy-hit Garo Hills region were served with demand notes ranging between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 25 lakh by the proscribed insurgent outfit Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA), that killed five policemen on Tuesday.

"All officers and heads of line departments in the district have recently received a demand note each from the GNLA," CP Gotmare, South Garo Hills district Deputy Commissioner said.

Line departments are government departments at the state level, with mandates related to specific thematic sectors, like Rural Water Supply Department.

Gotmare said Rs 5 lakh demand note had been delivered to him though it was not addressed to the deputy commissioner but as head of a district line department.

Some officials got demand letters in the outfit's letter-pad while some received demand via SMSs, he said.

The outfit has also served demand notes to heads of line department in neighbouring East Garo Hills district as well, District Deputy Commissioner Vijay Mantri said.

Sources said the morale of the staff serving in the two districts were down and this has affected the normal functioning of all line department offices.

In other three districts of the Garo Hills region, the militant outfit has been extorting mainly from businessmen, a a senior police officer said.

The affected officers have intimated the respective district deputy commissioners and police chiefs seeking cover from the threat, official sources said.

GNLA insurgents, who are fighting for a 'sovereign Garoland' in the Western areas of Meghalaya, ambushed a police vehicle killing all five policemen on board on Tuesday.

The attack came within 48 hours after the proscribed outfit shot dead seven revellers on the night of Diwali in neighbouring Assam's Goalpara district.

"In the days to come, we will take appropriate lessons from this episode and rededicate ourselves to maintaining peace and order in the state," SK Jain, Additional Director General of Police, said, highlighting on the need of the force to redraw their strategies in their fight against the GNLA.